Apparatus for production of artificial thread



Sept. l, 1936. B. M. TAYLOR APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTION OF ARTIFICIAL THREAD Filed July s, 1955 INVENTOR. rton M. Taylor NEY.

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AT TO Patented Sept. l, 1936` PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR PBODUCTGN F ARTIFICIAL THREAD Britton Marion Taylor, lOld Hickory, Tenn., asy signor to Du Pont Rayon Company, New York,

N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application July 9, 1935, serai No. 30,571 s claims. (ci. 11i-27.5)

This invention relates to-articial thread-producing apparatus and more particularly it relates to a thread-guiding mechanism for guiding ,a

freshly formed artificial thread into a centrifugal 5 bucket or the like. This inventionwill be described with particular reference to the manufacture of regenerated cellulose rayon but itis to be understood that the invention is applicable to all cases in which a guide is used for the transference of thread to a revolving container.

In one of the methods of manufacturing rayon,

Y the regenerated cellulose thread is collected in a centrifugal bucket which revolves at a high rate of speed. The thread is built up within the bucket vin the form of a hollow cake. In order that the.-

thread be laid in the cake evenly and in order that it may be readily unwound when `withdrawn from the bucket, a reciprocating mechanism is used whereby the thread is laid against the walls of the bucket in superimposed helices. The reciprocating mechanism commonly used comprises a glass funnel guide projecting into the bucket, said guide being Vmounted on a. -reciprocating traverse bar. The commonly used funnel guide turn hingedly connected to the reciprocating bar.

. The tunnels are mounted in the funnel arms in 35 an adjustable manner, such as, for example, by means of a threaded connection so 'as to permit the adiustment of the relative height of the funnel tip from the bottom of the centrifugal bucket when it is screwed up or down in the funnel arm.

Y 4 The funnel arm is ordinarily pivotably connected to the traverse bar so that when the spin is comfv pleted and it is desired to remove the bucket from the spindle in order to doif the cake, the fim'nel arm and funnel guide can be swung backwardly to provide the requisite amount of clearance.

Thisintermittent raising and 'lowering of the funnel out of or into the bucket often results in 50 the breaking of the glass funnel guide due to its inherent brittleness and furthermore due to the constrictions formed therein. Due tothis breakage and theirreparable damage caused to the spinning bucket and yarn contained therein, 3 various attempts have been made heretofore to less success.

avoid the use of glass funnel guides. Hard rubber guides. or guides of similar material, having spaced inserts of glass or porcelain have been substituted for glass guides and used with more or Such funnel guides are much mo're 5 expensive and when breakage does occur, replacements are naturally more costly. Furthermore, it frequently happens that the spaced inserts of glass, or porcelain, or the like, continuously contact the thread at the same point or 10 within a relatively small area which becomes cut or roughened and causes degradation of the yarn. The inserts in such previously known funnels are not easily accessible and cannot be examined periodically. so that a great deal of low quality 15 yarn may be produced before the defect is located..

It is therefore an object of this invention to improve the manufacture of artificial thread.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved funnel guide for the production 20 of articial thread.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The objects of this invention can be accomplished generally by constructing a funnel guide with a hollow tube comprising a plurality of separable sections of hard rubber or similar material, and provided at each joint -with an insert of a hard, inert material, such as, for example, glass, porcelain, synthetic resins, or the like. These inserts are preferably mounted so as to be free to rotate about the axis of the funnel but are prevented from sliding up and down within said funnel.

The purposes and advantages of the invention will become more clearly apparent by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying illustrations of certain specific embodiments thereof, and in which: Y- 40 Fig. 1 is a vertical cross sectional view showing a funnel constructed in accordance with the invention, and having a series of freely rotatable inserts therein;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, vertical cross sectional view showing a modified form of funnel tip;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view Aof one form of funnel insert; Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view of one form of funnel tip insert:

'Fig 5 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view of a modified form of funnel insert.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, reference character'l designates generally a funnel-recip- 55 rocating mechanism to which the top section 18 of the funnel is screw-threaded by means of thread I2. The top portion of the funnel is provided with a conical yenlargement to aid in more easily 5 inserting the artificial thread therein. The sec-` .tion 8 is provided with a main axial bore of substantially uniform diameter through the greater portion thereof. The top portion ofthe section -8 adjacent to the conical enlargement is provided lo with a counter bore slightly larger than the main bore and providing a shoulder 3. An insert of glass/porcelain. agate, or the like, is loosely positiond in this counter bore with the bottom edge thereof resting on the shoulder 9. This insert l5 .may be loosely positioned in the section 8 and if desired may be provided with a yieldable ring II g to prevent the insert Ill from dropping out of the funnel when the same is inverted. The section 8 is provided with a reduced portion I3 at the lower l end thereof which is externally threadedto cooperate with the internal threads of a second section I so that the two may be securely Joined together.

The section I5 is provided throughout the l5 major portionthereof with an axial bore of substantially the same Idiameter as the main bore in section 8. Section I5 is also provided-with a counter bore in which may be positioned a second insert I8, which insert is adapted to rest on the 40 internal thread oiv a third section 20. This section'2ll is constructed similar to section I5, being provided with a central bore and counter bore in which may be positioned another insert I0 to rest on the shoulder 2|, and the threads are abruptly terminated at point 28 to prevent damage to the insert. 'The lower part of section 20 is provided with a reduced'portion 22 and a second counter bore at the bottom end thereof for the insertion of a tip insert 24. This tip insert will be posl- 60 tioned in the section. 20 so as to rest against the shoulder 23 of the counter bore and is fastened in place by gluing, cementing, pressing thereinto while in a heated condition, vulcanizing, or in any other desired manner.

In the modification ofthe invention illustrated in Fig. 2, section I5a, which is similar to section I5 in all respects except that it is slightly shorter, is attached to the guide between section I5 and an end section 30. Reference characters Isa, IIw

and lila designate the various parts of section lia which correspond to parts I8, I'I and I8 of section I5.v Sections Ila and 30 are substituted for end. section .20 of Fig. 1. The section 30 is provided with annular extensions 32 and 33 between which may be inserted a glass or porcelain ring 38. A glass or porcelain tip insert 24 is inserted on the internal surface-of extension 32 and is prevented I from contacting section IEa by means of the shoulder 3| beyond which the cooperating threads will not turn. Both the ring 35 and the tip insert 24 are securely fastened'in place in section 30, preferably against the internal surfaces of the ex-v tensions 33 and 32 respectively. l Fig. 3A illustrates one of the freely rotatable inserts I0 on an enlarged scale. This insert l0 is provided with an axial bore which is of substan-v tially thev same diameter as the respective bores of the sections throughout the funnel. This bore through insert I0 is provided with a constriction Il against which the artificlalthread will contact 5 to prevent Aits contact with the walls of the. funnel.

Fig. 4 discloses the funnel tip insert 2l which is provided with a constriction 28 similar to the constriction I4 in tip I 0 and is provided with additional smaller constrictions or beads 25 and l0 21 at the ends thereof. Fig.' 5 illustrates a modified form of insert which is designed to be used either as a freely rotatable internal insert or asa tip insert for the funnel. The insert l0 is provided with 15 gradually sloping internal sides 4I and a bottom curved portion 42 to provide the necessary constriction against which the thread will contact. Allportions of the inserts I0, 2l, or III, against which the thread may contact during its passage 2,0 therethrough, are preferably highly polished to prevent any degradation ofthe yarn. 'I'he various funnel sections 8, I5, Ita, 28 and 30 may be constructed of any mutable plastic material, among which may b? mentioned hard 2,@ rubber, gutta perche., vinyl resins, phenol-formaldehyde resins, polyhydric alcohol-polybasic acidV resins. and cellulose derivatives. The various inserts may be constructed of any desired hard, inertmaterial, such as glass, porcelain, agate, a hard metallic carbide, e. g. tungsten carbide, i synthetic resins, or the like. e

Inasmuch as the inserts are loosely mounted in the funnel for free rotation therein, theyare not subjected to any excessive wear at any particular 35.; point thereof against which the threadvmay continually contact. and they'may be used over long periods of time without deleteriously affecting the thread. Furthermore, the inserts, as well as the various sections of the funnel, are interchange- 4o able, and if 4the funnel becomes broken, most of Y the parts can be salvaged and used over again. Another advantage of the funnel constructed in accordance with this invention is that'it may be disassembled end ine inserts inspected periodiis.

cally for defects, and thus insuring the main-- tenance of the production of high quality yarn. Y

It will be obvious that many changes and modiiications may be made in the above detailed description-without departing from the nature and '50,

spirit of the invention. It is therefore to be understood that the invention is not to be limited except as set forth in the appended claims.

l. In a 'thread-guiding tube, a pluralityof 55 separable sections, and hard, substantially inert4 inserts rotatably positioned between said sections. Y.

2. Ina thread-guiding tube, a pluralityof.- sections separable-from each other, and hard, substantially inert, thread-contacting vinserts !)x freely rotatably positioned between said sections.

3. In a.A thread-guiding tube, a plurality of sections separable from eachother; hard, sub stantially inert, thread-contacting inserts freely rotatably positioned between said seotionnendan insert firmly positioned in the bottom end thereof. l

4. In a tln'ead-guiding tube, a plurality of sections separable from each other, hardsub stentieny inert, thread-contacting inserts freely 79;

rotatably positioned between said sections, and concentrically positioned inserts in Vtlie"'bott'o'in end thereof.

5. In a thread-guiding tube, a urality of sections separable from each other. ai hard. sub- 75 f stanuanyinert. thread-contacting inserts freely rotatably positioned between said sections, said inserts having constricted' portions on the interna! surface thereof. 6. In a. thread-guiding tube, a plurality ot sections separable from each other. hard, substantially inert, thread-contacting inserts freely rotatably,y positioned between said sections, and means for preventing the, clamping of said inserts between said sections.

'1. In a thread-guiding tube, a hard, substantially inert, thread-contacting insert rotatably mounted therein, said insert being positioned entirely within said tube.

8. In a thread-guiding tube, a plurality o!k hard, substantially inert, thread-contacting inserts rotatably mounted therein, said` inserts havingl conetricted portions on the internal surface thereof.

BRI'ITON MARION TAYwR. 

